The Burrow
"This is the best house I've ever been in." —Harry Potter in the Burrow The Burrow was the family home of the Weasley family. Located on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon, England, it was a thoroughly magical dwelling that became a second home to Harry Potter. The Burrow is held up with magic, and is very cluttered inside, but very welcoming at the same time. In 1997, following the death of Albus Dumbledore, the Burrow became the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The Weasleys were forced to abandon their home during the height of the Second Wizarding War when they became targets of the Death Eaters. History The Weasley family home The Weasleys had presumably been in residence at the Burrow for a long time, since at least 1970. The Burrow had been the home to the nine Weasleys, although their numbers had thinned over the years as the children grew up and moved out. Despite being poor, none of the Weasleys seemed ashamed of their home, and it had a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. It was a welcoming place, and friends of the family were regular visitors. The Burrow was described in 1992 as being as "different as possible from life on Privet Drive". In the summer of 1992, Harry Potter first visited the Burrow when he was rescued from 4 Privet Drive by Ron, Fred and George. He stayed with them throughout the summer, and came to regard The Burrow as his second home after Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During this time, Arthur and Molly Weasley came to look upon Harry as part of their family, and made sure he was always welcome. In the summer of 1994, the Burrow was alive with activity as the entire family was back under one roof since Bill had moved out to work in Egypt. The Burrow was further crowded with the addition of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and the entire household, with the exception of Molly, attended the Quidditch World Cup final. During the summer of 1995, the Weasleys temporarily vacated the Burrow, staying at 12 Grimmauld Place in London to assist the Order of the Phoenix. The following year, Bill's fiancée Fleur Delacour moved into the Burrow — much to the annoyance of Molly, Hermione and Ginny. The Second Wizarding War Order Headquarters Following the death of Albus Dumbledore in 1997, the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix was moved from 12 Grimmauld Place to the Burrow. Since Dumbledore had been the Secret-Keeper for Grimmauld Place, his death had weakened the Fidelius Charm on the location, and all those who had been told the secret were now Secret-Keepers themselves - including Severus Snape, Dumbledore's killer. To prevent the enemy from discovering and infiltrating Headquarters, it was moved to the Burrow. In July of 1997, the Burrow was used as the rendezvous location for the Order task force assigned to escort Harry to safety from 4 Privet Drive several days before his seventeenth birthday. Because of the need to protect Harry, the Burrow was defended by numerous protective spells in the hopes that they would be enough to keep Harry and the Weasleys safe. Following the Battle over Little Whinging, the Burrow became a sombre place due to the disfiguring injury to George Weasley, and the news that Alastor Moody had been killed by Lord Voldemort. Wedding However, the wedding of Bill to Fleur Delacour was scheduled to take place at the Burrow, and the house underwent a thorough cleaning in preparation for the big event. Molly used the cleaning of the house as an excuse to stop Harry, Ron and Hermione from planning to hunt down Voldemort's Horcruxes in an effort to stop them from embarking on their dangerous quest. However, her attempts were only partially successful. Despite the hectic wedding preparations, on 31 July, the Burrow played host to Harry's seventeenth birthday party. However, the party was interrupted by the arrival of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour, who had arrived to disclose the contents of Albus Dumbledore's will to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Each received an item that would eventually help them in their mission to defeat LordVoldemort and destroy his Horcruxes. The day after, on 1 August, the Burrow held the wedding of Bill and Fleur. Most of the extended Weasley family were present, as well as Order members, friends, and the Delacour family. Harry attended the wedding in disguise by using Polyjuice Potion to resemble a red-headed Muggle teenager from Ottery St. Catchpole. During the reception, the wedding was disrupted when Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus arrived and warned the assembled guests that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters had taken control of the Ministry of Magic, and were heading for the Burrow. With the full strength of the Ministry behind them, the Death Eaters broke the protective enchantments protecting the Burrow, Apparating into the reception. Guests had already started to flee the scene due to Kingsley's warning, including the Death Eaters primary target, Harry Potter, along with Hermione and Ron. The Ministry, aware of the Weasleys' ties to Harry, questioned the family and any remaining guests before releasing them. Abandonment During the Easter holidays in 1998, the Weasleys were forced to abandon the Burrow when the Death Eaters finally discovered that Ron was assisting Harry after they were incarcerated at Malfoy Manor. Ron, with the assistance of Fred, George, and his father, had disguised the family ghoul as himself sick with spattergroit to explain his absence from school. However, he was recognised when he, Harry, and Hermione were captured by Snatchers and brought to Malfoy Manor. The Weasleys had already been under suspicion as "blood traitors" with ties to the Order, but were now known to be actively supporting Lord Voldemort's enemies. Fearing reprisals from Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the Weasleys stayed at the home of Aunt Muriel and at Shell Cottage, which they protected with a Fidelius Charm. Layout